Chilled Cucumber Garlic Soup

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3 cups plain yogurt
• 1 large english cucumber, peeled and halved,seeded and coarsely grated,plus
• 6 slices cucumbers, with skin paper-thin for garnish
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus
• 6 dill sprigs, for garnish
• 2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons wine vinegar or 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Recipe

• 1 line a sieve with cheesecloth (muslin) and place over a large bowl.
• 2 spoon the yogurt into the sieve and let drain in the refrigerator for 4 hours.
• 3 discard the captured liquid and place the yogurt in the bowl.
• 4 add the grated cucumber, garlic, olive oil, mint, chopped dill and milk.
• 5 mix well.
• 6 stir in the vinegar or lemon juice.
• 7 cover and chill for 1 hour.
• 8 before serving, season to taste with salt and pepper.
• 9 ladle the soup into chilled individual bowls and garnish each serving with a cucumber slice and a dill sprig.
• 10 serve well chilled.
• 11 notes: cucumbers are native to asia, where they have been eaten for thousands of years.
• 12 they contain a great deal of water, which makes them particularly refreshing in the hot summer months.
• 13 when choosing cucumbers, avoid the waxed variety sold in grocery stores year-round, and instead seek out the long, thin-skinned english or hothouse variety.
• 14 it has a superior flavor, less water and far fewer seeds.
• 15 three lemon cucumbers can be substituted for the single english (hothouse) cucumber, if you like.